The Return of Holmes Cheers Ryan, Sanchez

By

Scott Cacciola

Updated Oct. 11, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.—Last Wednesday, Santonio Holmes awoke early to walk his dog, then made the short drive from his home to the Jets' practice facility. He had made the same trip countless times over the past month, but this one felt different. He was finally heading to practice.

"I was pretty upbeat," said Mr. Holmes, who rejoined his teammates in an official capacity last week after serving out a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

ENLARGE

Santonio Holmes celebrates after a touchdown catch in the preseason.
Associated Press

Mr. Holmes, a dynamic wide receiver whom the Jets acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers in April, will make his regular-season debut when the Jets play host to the Minnesota Vikings at New Meadowlands Stadium on Monday night.

And while this has been cause for almost unmitigated celebration on the part of the coaching staff—"He looks like he hasn't missed a beat," coach Rex Ryan said—the fact is the Jets (3-1, 3-0 AFC East) have won three straight without Mr. Holmes, and their offense has been operating at a high level, averaging 32.3 points per game during the streak.

To his credit, Mr. Holmes said he wants to avoid disrupting the team's rhythm.

"I'm pretty sure I trust Schotty enough that he's going to put me in the right places, allow me to make plays for this team," said Mr. Holmes, referring to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

If Mr. Ryan harbors any sort of concern, it has to do with quarterback Mark Sanchez wanting to make everyone happy.

In Mr. Holmes's absence, Mr. Sanchez established a nice rapport with tight end Dustin Keller, who leads the team in receptions (19) and receiving yards (254), and with wide receiver Braylon Edwards (team-leading 18.9 yards per catch).

Mr. Sanchez now has one of the league's resident speedsters at his disposal in Mr. Holmes, who had 1,248 yards on 79 receptions with the Steelers last season.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sanchez only has one football to throw around.

"He has a tendency, 'Well, I'm going to get Braylon this many passes, Santonio this many, Dustin this many,' " Mr. Ryan said. "That's not how you do it. You go into the game, you just play what's called and you throw it to the open guy."

During his suspension, Mr. Holmes was barred from practicing with the team, so he compensated by working out on his own. Mr. Ryan said he often spotted Mr. Holmes arriving at the team's facility at 6 a.m. Mr. Holmes said his approach was rigorous, and his stated goal was getting into the best physical shape of his life.

He said he lifted weights every morning from 9 to 10:45, then hit the practice field on his own from 11 to 1 to improve his conditioning. He said he supplemented his work on the field by running sprints on a basketball court and in a sand pit.

"Doing all the little things that I think helped me win the Super Bowl in 2008," Mr. Holmes said. "I was grinding."

He was allowed to participate in team meetings, which Mr. Ryan said was a huge advantage: Mr. Holmes was still learning—and is continuing to learn—the intricacies of Mr. Schottenheimer's system. "He's on top of what he's doing," Mr. Ryan said.

The Jets value Mr. Holmes's versatility. If he arrived last spring with a reputation as one of the league's top deep threats, Mr. Holmes also is highly skilled at running short, underneath routes.

And in Pittsburgh, he said he sometimes felt constricted. For example, he seldom was allowed to line up in the slot, which was viewed as the exclusive province of Hines Ward.

With the Jets, Mr. Holmes expects to line up all over the field, which should make it more difficult for defenders to find him—and potentially double him.

"That's one of the reasons he was excited about coming here," Mr. Schottenheimer said.

One of the other reasons: Mr. Holmes said he just wants to win. That probably would keep everyone on the team happy.

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